Tuesday, May 27, 2014

The big coal strike of 1928 ends, yet crosses still burn. Angry miners plot. Company policemen stalk and spy. Miner’s wife Clare Sweeney hides bruises inflicted by her husband—and her real name. Her three daughters harbor secrets of their own. Each knows (or guesses) only fragments of the others’ unvoiced stories. Their intertwined lives eerily mirror the 7th century legend of St. Barbara, patroness of miners, reenacted annually in the town pageant. Tested by scandal, heartbreak, and tragedy, each woman will write her own courageous ending to St. Barbara’s story.

Join us on Wednesday, June 4, at 7:00 pm for a special program with author Marian Szczepanski.

Marian will give a presentation on her book, Playing St. Barbara, which shimmers with unforgettable characters while casting necessary light on a dark chapter in American history - the coal strike of 1928.

The granddaughter of immigrant coal miners, Marian Szczepanski grew up in Greensburg and lived as a young child in the Jamison Coal Company (Crabtree) house where her mother and aunts were raised. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Warren Wilson College and a BA in American Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Marian has won awards for short fiction and magazine feature writing. Playing St. Barbara is her first novel. She lives in Houston, Texas. http://www.marianszczepanski.com

This program is free and open to the public. Copies of the author's book will be available for purchase. The event will take place in the Ligonier Valley Library's beautiful, basement community room on Wednesday, June 4, starting at 7:00 pm.